Languages
Proto-Muralisian Languages Durantian (Common) - By way of the historically prominent Durantian economy, the language of the Durantian people has spread amongst the Muralisian nations as a common tongue. While certainly invaluable in the areas of trade and diplomacy, the language’s varied dialects and enunciation schools have a habit of identifying one’s origins, as any skilled linguist will attest. Distinctions are to be drawn between Durantian Standard, as spoken by foreigners educated in the language some time after the formative years and many of the tribal fragments located in Brevig and southern Durant, and Florid Durantian, the lilting and almost poetic speech of the Durantian elite. (Equivalent: English) Godrite - The notoriously harsh language of the militant Godrite people, it is an offshoot of the same antiquated tribal language once spoken (in varying forms) by the city-states that formed ancient Durant and Godrin. The influence of the Murotians no doubt may be credited for the significant difference between Durantian and Godrite, though the presence of a similar sentence structure and a number of accent marks in Godrite and Ghalean continues to baffle linguists, as Durant seems curiously untouched by these elements. Unlike Durantian, there is little to no differentiation between the Godrite of the tribes and foreign speakers and that of the formal citizenry, owing perhaps to the emphasis on proper enunciation mandating a universal application of the Godrite accent in speakers. (Equivalent: German) Proto-Murotian Languages High Ghalean - 'The direct descendent of the Murotian language, High Ghalean is the tongue of the Ghalean people and the language most employed in the writing of scholarly texts. This represents a subtle attempt by the Ghalean people to secure some form of enduring cultural heritage, but it should be noted that the majority of texts which may be of any interest to the masses have been translated to Durantian Standard over time. Nonetheless, the language is exceedingly popular amongst the Durantian middle and upper classes, and it has become commonplace to teach Ghalean as a second language in early schooling. ''(Equivalent: French) '''Carmaghi - The striking similarities between Ghalean and Carmaghi have been the key factor in determining the early arrival of the Murotians to the island nation, long before Durantian and Ghalean missionaries and merchants began to appear on the coast. While Carmaghi dialects vary depending on association with the Fool’s Path, which espouses the use of Old Murotian and accordingly employs in everyday speech a crisper, more formal Carmaghi known as Classical Carmaghi, as compared with the Low Carmaghi of the northeastern coast. Musical and sonorous, the language is considered a treasure of knowledge amongst scholars and nobles of the mainland, being so familiar yet recognizably exotic. (Equivalent: Italian) Old Murotian - The Language of the Murotians, forming the basis of the decadent Proto-Murotian languages. It is a firm, imposing language of stark enunciation and undertones of power, long dead in terms of practical use if not for the efforts of the Fool’s Path and Caelestis Nobilium to encourage its usage and study its finer points. Indeed, the knowledge of Old Murotian fostered by these groups has made possible a great many historical discoveries which would have been otherwise condemned to mystery most eternal. It is considered appropriate for young people of quality, regardless of state, to have an elementary education in Old Murotian, varying in degree of fluency according to one’s ecclesiastical and scholarly aspirations. (Equivalent: Latin) Proto-Idrachi Languages Kelsmic - Based on the language spoken by the inhabitants of Idrach, the nation beyond the western seas, Kelsmic is the product of extended interaction between native peoples and Idrachi colonists. The isolation of the Kelsmic peoples until relatively recent years allowed for the evolution of a highly unique language characterized by multiple approximations of single Proto-Idrachi consonants, a presence of glottal sounds which defy association with any Murotian or Muralisian letters, and a general inability to directly translate any work to or from Kelsmic without considerable difficulty on the part of a host of scholars. This has encouraged the continued isolation of the Kelsmic people, and if not for the efforts by Kelsmic scholars and merchants to master Durantian Standard there would surely be a great deal more tension between the nations. (Equivalent: Arabic) Category:Muralis Category:Reference